'The Frog Prince', Frances MacDonald McNair

‘The Frog Prince’ is a highly accomplished, large-scale depiction of the well-known fairy-tale.

Macdonald depicts the characters’ first encounter in a wood, when the Princess runs off with the golden ball the frog had recovered for her, ignoring her promised reward to let him share her life.

The conflict of choice, between possessions and companionship, wealth and love, is here laid out, and was a theme the artist explored further in later watercolours. The watercolour was hung at the right of the display.